Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 12 Episode 6 (section)

===Part 5===
「N, nn……」

The tied Airi woke up due to the explosion sound from the ground below that reached even until the Moon.

Within her dazed consciousness, the silver colored metallic wall came into her view.

On a part of that wall surface, countless rectangle windows of light were floating.

There, the scene below the moon──the practice ground that Airi was familiar with was projected. It was currently being blown away with a destructive blast.

「-……!? Everyone!? What is──」

When she raised a voice of incomprehension, she noticed the presences inside the room.

Airi held her breath in surprise. There the three division commanders of Dragon Marauder wearing their Divine Drag-Rides were standing.

「Haa, haa……. I’m tired, really.」

「We are also nearly at our limit……. Those girls, as expected they cannot be faced with normal means.」

「Right. But, with this, the preparations are finally in place.」

A part of their armor was broken, but their flesh body was mostly unharmed.

Furthermore, beside them there were the figures of Re Plica whose eyes were blank and Soffice who was prostrating on the floor.

「I, before this, was kidnapped in the Academy……. ──Soffice-san, please hang in there!」

Airi who fainted just a little while ago was unable to grasp the situation accurately.

But from this tense atmosphere, the control of Re Plica as an Automata was stolen by someone.

And then the Dragon Marauder bared their fangs towards their employer Soffice. Those were the only things she could imagine.

「……Why, did you betray me?」

Soffice slowly stood up and asked with a murmur while keeping her head down. Drakkhen turned an exasperated gaze towards her in response.

「……Mercenary business isn’t philanthropic work. The most important thing is to stick on the side that looks like the winning side. We are different from a servant that is serving a noble. There ain’t any meaning in being dutiful. You cannot comprehend the common sense for this kind of thing huh.」

「At the very least, I should have given you all your reward as stipulated by the contract. You betrayed me even then?」

Shadow covered her eyes, even so Soffice formed her words imploringly.

It was the last remaining thread of hope for her.

As though to desperately reel in the chance for turning the tables no matter how thin and unreliable the thread was.

But,

「Unfortunately, we have gone back to our past employer. Besides, you had opened the door to the deepest parts of the Garden already right? You were left alive because your authority as a Key’s Supervisor was useful but, our business with you is mostly finished now.」

「…………」

Soffice lost her words at the blunt rejection of Vine.

The control of Re Plica who was like her little sister was stolen, and she was also betrayed by the mercenaries who she hired through negotiations──all her hopes were completely severed.

「Sorry, Uruk. I’m unable, to accomplish the mission……」

Soffice spoke her repentance towards her dead little sister.

──What awaited trust was betrayal and murder.

That was why she tried to fight alone until now, and yet she couldn’t do even that.

She also wasn’t able to grant the wishes of Uruk who said that she wanted a friend, and she wasn’t even able to accomplish her mission as a Key’s Supervisor.

Besides, what was the most painful above all else was how Re Plica got taken away.

Even though till the very end, only she should be the one──who would stay as her ally until her death.

「It’s pitiful but, this is also what they call fate. If you are going to hold a grudge, then resent yourself for lacking the caliber to obtain comrades who are worthy of trust.」

After Drakkhen, who calmed her breathing, said that over her shoulder, besides her Vine looked down on the spherical shape at the side from the small window in the room.

Inside the battle space that was for use of virtual battle, Lux and Deus ex Machina were unfolding an intense battle.

「Even so, that Lux Arcadia is a really terrifying man. He is able to contend with that Ragnarok until this far with just that Bahamut.」

Lux was breathing hard with his front hair trickling sweat.

He had cut wounds from the fragments of the enemy’s body that he smashed, but other than that his armor was mostly unharmed. But he couldn’t hide the color of exhaustion in his face.

If his movement stopped for even a moment, Lux himself would be teleported by the enemy’s ability, so he continued to move without resting. This was the result.

And then above all else, Lux had no deciding move.

He was lacking firepower to destroy the Ragnarok which possessed hardness that was several times more than Myhtrildite.

When he struck a hundred consecutive slashes with End Action, the countless overlapping shell of Deus ex Machina dispersed the impact.

「With that huge mechanical god as an opponent, an attack without concentrated power behind it won’t work properly.」

Gatouhan added an explanation after the calm impression of Drakkhen.

Having said that, if Lux launched an attack with extraordinary power like Recoil Burst, such attack that was using large swings and moved in a straight line would be completely dodged with teleportation.

Thus, his stamina was reduced without being able to deal decisive damage.

「……-!?」

Lux was fighting a Ragnarok by himself inside a battle space that could be looked down from this room.

Airi who heard that desperately struggled with her body that was tied by rope.

Luckily or unluckily, the restrains weren’t that strong, perhaps because they thought she wouldn’t be able to escape from here anyway.

She took out the knife that she was covertly carrying within her pocket and secretly began to cut the rope.

There was almost nothing that she could do right now.

Even so, there was no way she could just stay quiet watching the predicament of her big brother and everyone else.

「Enough with the pointless talk you mongrels. The explosion below has settled down. Recover Iblis’s Grand Force and finish off those trashes there.」

「Yeah, with this, our association with those bunches will be over.」

Right after Drakkhen replied to Re Plica’s words, the three division commanders were enveloped by light. A teleportation by Deus ex Machina occurred.

After the three vanished, the controlled Re Plica slowly walked towards Soffice with a knife in hand.

「I’ve no more business with you. Now you’re only a disposable key──so I’ll cut the tendons of your limbs.」

「…………」

The looking down Soffice didn’t even twitch, let alone resist.

The Automata brandished the knife emotionlessly and then swung it down towards the girl.

「────」

Fresh blood danced in the air along with the sound of torn flesh.

But, Soffice was embraced along with an impact that suddenly came from the side and she was pushed down on the floor.

「──Airi! What, are you doing?」

Soffice’s emotionless eyes that were blank as though she had died already opened wide, and light returned to them.

Seeing that, Airi endured the pain from her slashed back and smiled stout-heartedly.

「That’s my line. Why aren’t you resisting? Why aren’t you running away? Are you going to be done in silently without fighting?」

「……It, doesn’t matter, anymore. It’s impossible for me. I cannot, do anything……」

「Are you going to give up just because you got betrayed twice? Even though you tried to save the world by going as far as making the world your enemy. Aren’t you succeeding the dying wish of your little sister!?」

「…………」

「Stop with the pointless struggle. The entrance of this room is already locked. There is no escape.」

Re Plica seemed to use her function as Gear Leader to lock the room and declared so while approaching.

Airi stood up, pulled on Soffice’s arm, and desperately hit on the door.

「You can be desperate because your comrades are still alive. I have nothing anymore. Whether it’s Uruk, or Dragon Marauder that I hired──」

「That’s wrong.」

Airi took a stance with the knife she brought and faced Re Plica who was closing the distance bit by bit.

Airi who was a civil official cadet didn’t even learn basic self-defense satisfactorily, even so she stood to protect the unarmed Soffice.

「My big brother, it was a short time that wasn’t even a week but, I believe that you also understood. He was always getting dragged into {{furigana|trouble|unnecessary incident}}, just a softhearted and simple fool. He is really a hopeless brother. But, even such big brother who is beyond help, has a really good side to him. Just one, something that even I recognized.」

「……That’s──」

「Once he decided on something, he will surely carry it out no matter what.」

Saying that, Airi brought her face closer to the window inside the small room.

She exchange glances with Lux who looked up her way for an instant, and she twirled her finger quietly.

It was as though she gave some kind of signal to Lux.

「Around Nii-san in the past, there wasn’t anybody who would become our ally. Even so, Nii-san fought no matter how many years. In order to make a country that we can like and stay at, in order to find comrades, he didn’t give up. That’s why I’ll also fight. After all I am──Nii-san’s little sister.」

「────」

Soffice lost her words hearing the words of Airi who resolved herself.

「I won’t let Re Plica-san kill you. Because, I don’t want to let your friend, be forced to do something like that.」

「My, friend……?」

Hearing that, Soffice stared at the Automata before her.

The figure that completely lost her heart and got controlled by someone.

The memory of family who had stayed with her until now longer than anyone.

「I……」

Beside the wavering Soffice, Airi told Re Plica who had come before her──more accurately, to the someone who gave her orders and talked through her.

「……You, should be unable to kill me. You brought me here to use me as a hostage towards Nii-san at the critical moment right? Then, you won’t be able to lay your hands on her with me covering her like this.」

「Hah……hahahahaha!」

Re Plica’s mouth twisted into an arc and she laughed loudly.

「You talk like you know who is manipulating this doll huh, former princess-sama?」

「I know who you are. Even I haven’t kept observing people for so many years just for show. Because I was treated like a nuisance in the Old Empire and given a criminal status in the New Kingdom, I need to carefully watch everyone’s expression in order to live until now. I have become skilled only in that kind of unpleasant aspect.」

「……I see. But you know, you miscalculated. I’ve got no more need for hostages or anything for your big brother! It’s over for that guy already! No matter what kind of technique he uses, something like a method to win against that Ragnarok──」

*Pakii-!*

Right after Re Plica boasted of her victory, the window beside her was pierced through.

「──!?」

What was thrown into the room through there was a Sword Device sheathed inside a white scabbard.

While fighting Deus ex Machina, Lux looked for a chance and threw it.

Airi broke into a run and picked that up.

She slightly pulled out the sword from the sheath before returning it right away.

「Just when I thought what you are going to do, are you planning to fight with a general purpose Drag-Ride at this late? Just try it. It’s pointless though.」

「U, kuh……!?」

But, Re Plica ran towards Airi and grabbed her neck. She hung her up midair.

Airi dropped the sheath and it slid on the small room’s floor. It stopped near Soffice’s foot.

「As I thought, it’s……impossible.」

The hopeless situation didn’t change.

No matter how hard Lux tried, no matter how much courage Airi summoned, in the end it became like this.

Lux had that kind of fate, which Soffice didn’t have.

And then, even that possibility would soon come to an end.

But── seeing the Automata who was constricting Airi’s neck with an expression that was warped in delight, a twinge of pain was created inside Soffice.

『These people are surely, not bad people desu.』

『The people of Syvalles, all of them are good natured people.』

『You lie desu! Even though the truth is──you want comrades more than anyone! You are only running away because you are scared to get hurt desu!』

「──!?」

The pain in her chest that she should have forgotten flared up hotly.

She was unable to protect her betrayed little sister.

However, Uruk, she put her life on the line and resisted.

In order to not let bad people use the power of Avalon to rule over people and hurt them.

『That’s why I’ll also fight. After all I am, Nii-san’s little sister.』

「I──」

As though being pushed on her back, Soffice pulled out the Sword Device from the white sheath.

Soffice would be unable to summon Lux’s Wyvern, even so she would be able to fight with the sword. When she made that determination, she noticed.

「This is!? This Sword Device──」

「……U, a!?」

Re Plica lifted up Airi with one hand. Her other hand was holding a knife.

「I can show him his little sister’s corpse. That guy’s suffering will be a sight to see for sure. Hahahahaha!」

Re Plica pressed Airi on the window intentionally so that Lux who was fighting in another room could see.

Right after that, the blade the Automata lifted up was swung down towards Airi’s chest.